


love's looking good on you

by Murf1307



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Canonical Character Death references, Darwin is Alive, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Fix-It, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-19
Updated: 2016-09-19
Packaged: 2018-08-15 22:25:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8075206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Murf1307/pseuds/Murf1307
Summary: Darwin finally gets an X-Suit.  Alex doesn't quite know how to take it.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mothicalcreatures (laelreenia)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/laelreenia/gifts), [gullapip](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gullapip/gifts).



> The suit referenced in this fic is actually a suit I commissioned from Kevin Wada at FlameCon this year, and will be visible below.

 

It's strange, Armando thinks.  This whole superhero thing.  But here he is, and he's got what feels like a family for the first time since his mother sent him off to that boarding school.  Longer, probably.  But it's cleaner to divide his life like that, so he does.

Segments.  Mom.  School.  Taxi.  Now this.  Superhero, or something.

Hell, he might just have come back from the dead for this, so there's that too.

Hank's handy with a needle and thread, so he makes all the costumes.  Suits.  Whatever they're going to call them.  Alex has his plate, Sean's got his wings, Hank's got one to match the others, and Armando was a couple months late to the party, so his is just finished now.

"It's an improvement on the Cuba designs," Hank says, carefully.  "Especially the colors."

Armando.  He's seen the 'Cuba designs,' ripped up and tattered, but damn.  Those had been _ugly_.

“He’s got a giant yellow X on his chest,” Alex says, raising his eyebrows.  “That’s like — that’s a target."

Hank bites at his lip with his teeth.  “Alex, that’s sort of the point."

“… _What?_ "

Armando decides to take over, there.  “Alex, the bad guys can’t hurt me.  I’m the _ideal_  person for them to be shooting at.”  He knows that Alex still thinks about that night at the compound, that it weighs on him heavily, even though Alex won’t talk about it.  

But it just makes sense to try and have Armando draw enemy fire away from the group.  He’s good at protecting people, after all.  

Alex swallows, nods, and exits the room.

Armando exhales.

Well, that could have gone better.

 

* * *

 

Armando finds Alex, later, on the roof.  They've made it their spot in the last month or so, and Armando's not surprised to find him there, asleep in the sunshine.  Alex reminds him of a cat that way, sometimes.  Sprawled out like he can't get enough sun, face relaxed and looking so much younger than it does when he's awake.  Armando sits down next to him, still wearing the suit.

"Hey, hotshot," he says, softly, reaching out to brush his fingers down Alex's arm.

Alex wakes up immediately.  "'Mando?" he asks, muzzily.  "'Zat you?"

"Mhm."  

"Oh, mmkay."  Alex still doesn't open his eyes.  "I -- I don't think I like the suit,"  he admits.  "Sorry."

Armando makes a sympathetic noise.  "I know."

"I just -- it reminds of the night you...you died."  Alex reaches over, finding Armando's hand naturally as breathing.  "You put yourself in the line of the fire, and that happened.  I don't want it to happen again."

Armando can't promise it won't.  He hates that.  He really does.  

"I'll be careful."  He almost adds _sweetheart_  at the end, but catches himself before he does.  As much as he wishes it so, Alex isn't his sweetheart anywhere but in his own head, so that pet name is gonna have to stay there.

Alex nods, quiet for a long moment.  Then he opens his eyes, looking at Armando.  God, those eyes are something.  He looks almost ancient with sadness.  "I can't lose you again."

The soft declaration is so intimate it makes Armando's insides ache.

"I don't want you to, either," he says, as close to a promise as he can come, today.  "You've seen enough hurt."

Alex huffs out a soft laugh.  "You're so...I think I've forgotten what it's like."

"What what's like?"

"...How it felt before you."

Armando turns his hand in Alex's and squeezes it.  Is now the time?  It might be.

"When I met you," Armando says, softly, firmly meeting Alex's eyes.  "I was sure I was going to die with you."

Alex stares, the confession clearly more than he anticipated.

Then, he sits up, brings them into each other's space even more.  "Is that why... why you looked at me?"

"Mhm."  Armando squeezes his hand again.  "I had to know if you felt it, too."

"I-I did.  Do."

Armando's never believed much in destiny or soul mates or any of that stuff.  But he does believe in good instincts and better choices, and knowing who you are.

And here, on the roof, all of it's telling him to kiss this boy.

So he does.

Alex kisses back, and soon, Armando's on his back on the roof, laughing breathlessly.  "Somebody's enthusiastic," he says.

Alex blushes hard, all the way up to his hairline.  "I'm _desperate_ , 'Mando."

"Oh yeah?"

"Uh-huh."  He nods.  Then, leaning down, into Armando's ear, he adds:

"And you look _really_  good in the suit."


End file.
